You've Got Cute Ears
by Mawiiish
Summary: "Who's that?" Blaine breathed and made a gesture to the left. "Nobody knows his name, even though everybody wants to," the stranger answered. - Why can't Kurt speak? Why is he living with the Karofsky family? And how will Blaine help him? AU Klaine!
1. The Run

**A/N: This is something I've thought about for quite a while, and I have no idea if you'll like it, but, hey, a girl's gotta try, right? **

**Just a quick explanation: When I mention ears, it's not human ears. It's something that resembles cat ears. And they're positioned like a cat's too. **

**Thank you, and I hope you'll enjoy! **

Blaine was waiting for Aldigree by their usual place when he heard the first voices.

"Where is he?" Someone whispered and he moved closer to the tree to hide himself. "Aldigree said he'd be here." When he heard his lover's name, Blaine froze.

"Are you sure he didn't lie?" Another voice asked.

"Of course I am! He said that little midget would be here, waiting for his dearest lover to come." There were laughs as Blaine slid down the tree and sat on the ground. Aldigree had lied to him. He'd sold him out to the soldiers. Tears started flowing and he choked out a broken sob.

"What was that?" Blaine covered his mouth with a hand. Then he slowly rose from the ground and found his bag in the nearby bushes; careful of every movement he made. He took one step to the left and a loud _crunch_ sounded.

"Did you hear that? Where is he? Which way did he go?" There came yelling from all sides of him, and he fell to the ground again, crawling on hands and knees to the nearest exit of the garden. He followed the northern wall and finally got out of the castle. When he felt it was safe he turned around to look at his childhood home one last time.

Tears still running down his cheeks, Blaine ran out of the city, clutching his bag to his chest.

He reached a village on his fourth day on the road. His feet were killing him and he really needed some sleep. Sleep and food. He hadn't had a decent meal in three days - his money hadn't gotten him far, and wild berries just weren't enough for a grown man to live on.

"Excuse me?" Blaine hoarsely asked a man who walked by him.

"What'd you want?" The man - he didn't have ears - growled and Blaine was almost backing out when he thought to himself, that he _had_ to find a place to sleep, or he'd drop dead in the next few hours.

"I'm looking for a place to stay," he said and the stranger suddenly looked a bit nicer. He nodded at the curly haired boy and gestured for him to follow.

The tall man walked through the doors to a dirty-looking inn. Blaine had to stop himself from cringing and took a deep breath as he walked inside.

Before he even got the chance to thank the man, he saw _him_. His hair was a light brown color as was his ears (how in the world could such a beauty still have his ears?), his jaw squared but had soft edges, his nose straight, his lips full and pink and his eyes… His _eyes_. They were nothing like Blaine had ever seen before. At the first look (yes, he did look more than once) they were blue. Light blue. With green around the iris. And around the edges. And then again, maybe they were more grey than blue. Or even light green. No, it was glasz, Blaine suddenly realized. And it was like they changed color every time he- Then the boy turned around and all he could see now was his back. Not that he minded.

"Who's that?" He breathed and made a gesture to the left. The stranger followed his eyes.

"Nobody knows his name, even though everybody wants to," he said and laughed a little as if he'd just told an intern joke.

"Why doesn't anyone know?" Surely such a beautiful man would have plenty of followers.

"He doesn't speak."

"Why?" Blaine asked, confused. He'd never met a person who didn't speak before. It was normal human behavior to talk as much as possible.

"You ask an awful lot of questions, don't you, kid?" The man sighed at him. "He's never spoken. That's just how he is. Silent - but beautiful." So the stranger _did_ see how beautiful the boy was.

"Is that his friends then?" Blaine had to ask something. He wanted to know the boy. Even if it was just a little.

"Friends? I don't think you'd call 'em that."

"But they're talking to him?" Blaine frowned.

"I'm surprised they still dare." The stranger shook his head but didn't explain any further.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not from around here, are you kid?" He was beginning to sound annoyed at all the questions.

"No. I just got here today," Blaine explained.

"Oh, that's why." The stranger didn't say anything more, but Blaine still thought of his statement.

"So why are you surprised?" Maybe the boy was already into someone and the men around him were only there to get his attention. A twist of pain shot through Blaine. _What…?_

"Because Karofsky nearly killed the last guy who laid his eyes on the boy."

"Karofsky?"

The stranger sighed at him. "You see that man over there?" He pointed and Blaine looked to his right. Up in the bar stood a big, scary-looking man. He was about twice Blaine's size; both in height and width. As he was about to ask the man who this giant was - other than Karofsky - the said man walked out from the bar and straight to the boy and the men surrounding him. What Blaine hadn't expected was that the broad man - he didn't have ears either - grabbed the collar of two of the men and swung them out of the door. Then he took the next couple of guys and did the same, and then he ran out after them and all that could be heard after that was yelling and whining and punches being laid out.

The large man rushed into the inn again a few minutes later, looking even grumpier than before. He stalked over to the beautiful boy and grabbed him by the collar of his cream colored shirt. Karofsky whispered something into his ears and released him. Just when he turned around the slim boy's lips crawled back into a snarl and Karofsky snapped back, having reached for a glass on his way. Blaine took a step forward, but the stranger held him back by placing a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at the man.

As he looked up at the stranger, a terrifying sound reached his ears. It was the sound of water splashing into something. Or someone. Blaine turned his head and saw the boy standing with wide eyes and a shocked expression on his face. There was water dripping from his hair, down his face and onto his clothes.

The boy narrowed his eyes and shook his head, making the water sprays off his soft-looking ears, which suddenly had a red-ish look to them. He looked like he was around Blaine's age, and he had just turned nineteen - not many teenagers still had their ears these days. He lightly touched his own ears and blushed. He just hadn't met the right person yet, he reasoned himself. Then the boy - Blaine really wanted to know his name, so he didn't have to call him that in his mind - whirled around on his heel and disappeared out the back of the bar.

"Yeah, just get the hell out of here!" Karofsky yelled after him and kicked the nearest chair. Blaine flinched. The stranger next to him paled and walked out the door with his head lowered. Blaine hurried after him and thought to himself that he'd find another place to sleep. When they got outside, he tugged the stranger's shirt.

"Maybe there's somewhere else to stay?" He asked and licked his suddenly dry lips. He didn't want to go back in there with such a violent man. It reminded him too much of home.

The stranger looked down at him and sighed. "Where you from, kid?"

"Western Litera," Blaine answered without thinking. Maybe this village hated people from the west?

"Hm. You'll stay here long?"

"I don't know yet," Blaine said. He really wanted a place to stay. "Maybe if there's somewhere that needs help. If not I'll have to move on to another village." The stranger seemed to think this over, before he spoke again.

"We do need help in the kitchen," he mumbled.

"Really? You'd let me stay with you?" Blaine was shocked. Nobody in his hometown would ever have offered this kind of favor to a complete stranger - unless said stranger had bags of gold with him.

"Sure kid. I'm Mervalu by the way. You can just call me Merv."

"I'm Blaine!"


	2. Confessions

**A/N: HELLO AGAIN, BUNNIES 3**

**So, what did you think of chapter one? I've already finished the first couple of chapters, so they'll get up in the next few days. Maybe even hours, if you seem to like them; but they're kinda short - don't worry, I'll make them longer laterz. I just had to see if you'd actually read it. (I'm very sorry if there are some things you don't understand in the chapters - there **_**will**_** be explanation to all of the things I've written, I promise!) ENJOY chapter two! **

**(Remember: Reviews = looooove! :'D..)**

Merv followed Blaine to a big house a few streets away from the inn with the beautiful boy. He was led through the kitchen, where Merv offered him some lunch before he'd show him his room. Blaine was still shocked. He'd even get a room? He almost choked on his bread when he said thank you.

He was introduced to Merv's wife Viola and their two children, Rosa and Val. Val was the oldest and seemed to be a bit shy, while his sister almost instantly started asking Blaine questions.

"Where are you from? Why are you alone? Where's your family? Why don't you have a horse? Why are you here? Will you be living with us now? Are you my new big brother?"

Blaine tried to answer honestly but without too many details. He didn't feel the need to explain his situation to a house of strangers - even though they were kind - yet.

"I'm from western Litera," he said and got Rose's attention. "I don't have any family anymore." He didn't want to explain death or loss to this little girl, so he quickly moved on to stop her from asking any more questions. "And I've never had a horse, even though I'd very much want to. And yes," he looked over at Merv who nodded. "I'll be living with you guys now. But I won't be your brother. You have Val, little Rose."

This made Rose giggle and Blaine send her father a confused look. Merv just shrugged. But Rose soon explained herself. "You just called me little Rose," she chuckled.

"Oh. I... I'm sorry, you don't like that?"

"Yes, I do. It's just…" Rose seemed to compose herself. "It sounded like you called me an actual rose."

"Oh," was all Blaine could think of to say.

"It's quite nice," Rose said and smiled the most angel-like smile, making Blaine smile back at her. The little girl sounded so well-taught. She looked mostly like her mother with her blond hair with little curls at the end. Her big eyes were dark ocean-blue, like her father's, but even the way she stood resembled her mother. Viola was a tall, slim woman with long blond hair and piercing ice blue eyes, and if Blaine had been attracted to women, he was sure he'd have found her very… appealing.

Val on the other hand resembled his father quite a bit. His hair was dark and shot up in all directions; he was tall as well, at least for a twelve year old. He had light green eyes, something none of his parents had, but Blaine suspected that it was something inherited from the grandparents. Who didn't even live in the house; much to Blaine's surprise. When he asked Merv about it, the older man looked at him, like he was from another dimension.

"Why would I have Vi's folks living here? I think it's bad enough we have to visit them twice a month."

"But isn't it the job of the children to care for their elders?" Then it hit Blaine. "Oh, maybe they're living at your wife's sibling's house then?"

"Vi is an only child, kid. Why is it such a surprise for you? It's not like every child has to take care of their folks when they grow old."

"It's not?" Back in Litera grandparents lived with their children and grandchildren. That's just how it's always been, and Blaine thought it was the same in the other villages and countries.

Merv just laughed at him. "It must've been a weird town you lived in, kid."

"Yea," he mumbled and tried to push the memories away. Merv must've noticed because the large man cleared his voice and then began explaining what Blaine was to do. Mostly he'd just help with the food and lift the heavy - _Thank God, I exercised a lot at home_ - things. He basically just had to do what Viola told him to. So when she sent him to the market to pick up eggs, he gladly did so. He got a few weird looks, but Viola told him to ignore it.

"They'll get used to you soon enough, Blaine." She said and added "Especially if you're planning on staying?"

"I am," he said. "But only if I won't trouble you, of course." He didn't want to intrude when they had been so kind to him, even though they didn't even know anything about him.

At least they didn't until Blaine's fifth day working and living with them. Blaine overheard Viola and Merv talking in the kitchen. He didn't want to interrupt, so he simply waited outside.

"But it's not like I'll interrogate him!"

"Viola, you are not to ask him about his past. He wouldn't be here, if he didn't have scars."

"I know, Merv, but I can't just let a stranger live under our roof, if I know nothing about him."

"Vi," Merv's voice was suddenly soft. "Haven't you heard him at night? Would a normal kid cry like that if he could just talk about what happened?" Blaine gasped. They'd heard him…

Viola sighed. "Okay, I understand."

At this moment Blaine decided to step into the room. Viola and Merv startled and turned around to face him.

"My name is Blaine Everett Anderson," he began with a shaky voice. "I come from Western Litera, and I've lived there my whole life. I'm nineteen years old. My mother died when she gave birth to my younger sister. My father is a well-known man in Litera. I'm…" His voice broke. "I'm not… interested in women," he didn't miss the way Viola's eyes grew bigger and Merv took an awkward step to the side. "So my father sent me to the soldier school located at the King's castle. I met a boy there." Blaine swallowed and tried to keep the tears away. "He sold me out."

"He betrayed you," Merv said, voice hard as stone.

"Did he love you?" Vi's soft voice asked.

"I…" Blaine stuttered. Had Aldigree ever loved him? Or was it all a plot to let the soldiers get him? Both Aldigree and Blaine knew what the soldiers did to men like him. Blaine shivered at the thought. "I don't know."

"But you loved him?" She said as if asking. Blaine gulped audibly.

"Yes. I did." Blaine lowered his head, but didn't get to hide his tears, before he was swept into a bone-crushing hug.

"You poor thing," Viola mumbled and caressed his dark curls. He felt another hand heavy on his head. "It's okay Blaine. You can stay here for as long as you'd like." Merv ruffled his hair and then left the kitchen.

Later that day - when he was done crying into Viola's embrace - Blaine was sent down to the market to get meat for that night's dinner. Viola had said they'd have to celebrate their new family member, even though Blaine had protested.

Merv had obviously spoken to at least a few people, because the man who sold Blaine the meat was polite and didn't narrow his eyes at him, like all the other people used to do. And he even got a smile from a young woman who carried her little brother - or maybe son - on her way to the market. Blaine walked home with spring in his steps and a smile on his lips. Maybe it was this happiness that made him brave too brave to think clearly.

His eyes caught something light brown and he felt his stomach squirm with pleasure. The beautiful boy from the inn was standing over by a house, bending over a few boxes. He walked up behind the boy and waited. But the other teen didn't seem to notice his presence.

"Hello," Blaine said softly. He always thought that the best way to approach someone was in a direct manner. The boy startled and turned around. Blaine couldn't help but notice how his posture looked like he was getting ready to fight. When he didn't get an answer Blaine stepped forward, offering his hand.

"I'm Blaine," he said, but the other boy still didn't say anything. _So it's true, _Blaine thought, _he's mute._ The boy turned back around after looking up and down Blaine's body as if to measure him; his eyes clearly saying _stay away from me_.

"I'd like to get to know you," Blaine pressed as he lowered his hand but the boy still half-ignored him.

"I was told you were brought to the village a few years ago," He'd talked to Merv about the boy on his third night here, and since there was no sign of this being wrong information, he continued, "By Karofsky." The boy flinched at the name, and Blaine hurried on.

"You don't talk. And nobody knows your name." The boy looked up at this statement, raising a perfect shaped eyebrow. "Someone does?" Blaine asked, excited about finally getting new information; and this time directly from the source itself. The frail boy moved his head slowly in a single nod, eyes still expressionless. Blaine smiled.

"Can I?" He asked, but the boy didn't seem to understand. "Know your name?" He explained.

The boy looked at him with an empty look in his eyes. Then those said eyes narrowed and the full, pink lips pulled back into a snarl, just like the one Blaine had seen in the inn a few days before. Maybe not as furious, but it was still a snarl nonetheless. Blaine took a step back; he'd never been _scrowled_ at before. Normally people _liked_ him. Until they found out whom or rather what he was, at least. He worried his bottom lip and took a few more steps back.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled and then turned around. He didn't know why, but he felt hurt. He didn't know the boy, but still… Did he seem like a threat? Like an evil person? He walked back to the house in depressed thoughts. As he stepped into the house, Rose walked up to him.

"Are you okay, Bainey?" Rose had gotten the idea that Blaine sounded way too grown up, so she'd given him a nickname. She'd told him that was the reason at least. It could also have something to do with the fact that she couldn't pronounce the 'l' in Blaine.

"Yea," he muttered, but that night he didn't sleep well at all.


	3. Nightmare

**Soooo? :D ..Loving it already? Sure you do. I hope… (Sorry it's so short though, I'll try to update like ASAP! As in, I think I'll upload later tonight) And, *ahem* **_**Yes**_**, this fanfic does resemble the manga called Loveless (never heard of it? You should, it's awesome!), but I hadn't thought of that when I wrote, so that's why I don't think it's a cross-over. Since the only thing it has in common is the ears. But thanks for pointing it out, guys! **

**Um, yeah, so here's a tiny bit more of Blainey-Bear's past, and even though it's a kinda sad chapter: ENJOY 3**

_Aldigree held Blaine's hand and locked their eyes together. _

"_I want us to run away, Blaine," he said and leaned over, so their foreheads were touching. _

"_R-really?" Blaine stuttered and blushed. _

"_Yes, really. I want us to be together, Blaine. Forever, just the two of us. We'll find a village, where we can get married." Blaine blushed harder, but Aldigree just continued, "And we'll live together. And we'll be able to see each other without hiding in the shadows." _

"_Al," Blaine's voice shook a bit, but he smiled at the older boy. "I'd love to be able to do that."_

"_We can, Blaine! We can. Let's run away together?" Aldigree's enthusiasm had Blaine laughing._

"_Sure," he joked. "Let's do it tomorrow night?"_

"_Yes!" Aldigree clenched Blaine's hands between his own. "Let's do it. Let's just do it, Blaine. I love you." Blaine didn't know what to say, but he looked into Aldigree's eyes and found nothing but love there._

"_Okay," he whispered. "I love you too." _

_They sealed the deal with a kiss. _

Blaine was woken by his own sobbing. He was curled into the middle of the bed and all the bed covers were lying on the floor. He choked back another sob and rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing. He heard someone walking on the stairs but didn't get to pretend to sleep before a big figure stood in the door.

"Kid?" It was Merv. "Are you okay?"

Just as he was about to answer Blaine broke into another sob. He bent down and hid his face in his hands. Merv stepped into the room and sat down next to him. The tall man scratched his neck awkwardly but then put his arm around the curly haired teen's shoulders.

"Hey," he said soothingly. "Hey kid, it's alright. Calm down." Blaine grabbed Merv's shirt and buried his face in the man's side. "It's gonna be okay, Blaine." He kept saying little calming things to Blaine until said boy fell asleep.

Blaine did notice the way Merv and Viola looked at him the next day. He kept his eyes to the ground that morning, embarrassed by his own crying the night before. He felt humiliated by Aldigree's betrayal. And ashamed. Ashamed that he'd loved such a horrible person. Ashamed that he'd obviously drooled over the beautiful boy before even getting over Aldigree. Ashamed that he - Blaine Anderson - had to seek shelter in a stranger's home. Ashamed that he even thought of himself as if he was worth more than these kind people. Ashamed that he'd had to intrude on someone's life, just because he was who he was. He felt like a terrible person.

And a terrible person did not deserve to even look at such beauty. So he kept his eyes locked to the ground, even when he saw the nameless boy walk by him on his way home - _their home_, he corrected himself - from the marked. He realized that he hadn't even had any right to be hurt when the boy hadn't given him his name yesterday. Who would give their name to a stranger? He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. Then he walked faster, without as much as glance at the boy. He missed the way said boy looked at him with a quizzing look on his face.

That evening he didn't eat much. He wanted to run away again, but he knew that'd make him even more of a coward than he already was. Yes, he had got permission to stay at their house, in this village, but with each passing moment he felt sadder and sadder. He even began to question himself after last night's dream. Maybe he'd heard the name wrong? Maybe Aldigree hadn't sold him out to the soldiers? Maybe it was his inner fear that made him hear the wrong name. Maybe Aldigree really did wait for him in the garden. What if the soldiers had got him?

Mervalu and Viola noticed Blaine's usually loud and happy voice was missing at the dinner table. They exchanged looks and Viola nodded at her husband. After dinner Viola asked Blaine to do the dishes with her. The teen just nodded and walked over to the sink to fill it with water.

"Blaine?" Viola wasn't sure what she was about to say. She didn't know how to approach this scarred teen. He was far too young to have his heart broken and betrayed the way he had.

Blaine turned his head, hands still in the sink. "Yes?" He said.

"Are you okay?" She asked in a worried voice. She's never seen anyone change so fast. Just yesterday he had been as happy as any other teenager his age. And then today… She didn't even know how to describe him. It was like all the bad things he'd been through had happened all over again and this time he'd taken them to heart.

Blaine froze. They'd noticed his mood swing. And now they wanted him to leave. He didn't blame them. Who wanted a sorrowful teen living under their roof anyway? He just nodded at Viola and turned around, focusing on the task at hand.

"Blaine, honey, turn around and look at me," Viola pressed. He sighed and did as he was told. He was raised to be polite and do what his parents - or other grownups - said.

But he couldn't look her in the eyes. He tried raising his eyes, but his whole body fought against him. Viola took the few steps over to the teen and took a hold of his chin; tipping it up, so their eyes locked.

"What's wrong?" She said gently. She knew how to speak with kids; she had two of them herself, for God's sake. And even though Blaine wasn't hers, she already cared deeply for the strange boy.

"It's just… I just… What if it's my fault?" Blaine's voice was hoarse and rasping and it broke as he forced the sentence out. He'd never been a scared child, and normally he didn't need reassurance. He knew when he'd done something wrong. But this time it was different, because the more alone he was, the more he thought of it all as his fault. And even though he didn't want to admit it, he needed someone to tell him, that it wasn't.

Viola's eyes softened even further and she pulled Blaine into a hug. "It's not, Blaine," she shushed. "It isn't your fault that he betrayed you or left you alone, it isn't your fault you're gay." And the thing Blaine needed to hear the most; "And it is _not_ your fault that you fell in love with a man who turned out to be a bad person. He must've had nice sides too; the bad sides just won this time. And you shouldn't worry about it. You're living here now, Blaine, with us, and we won't let anyone take you away. Not now, not ever."

Blaine nodded into her embrace and even though he felt like a child, it was a comforting and caring feeling. Viola had just told him the things he wanted to hear the most. Not even his own mother had been able to say such things.


	4. Lessons

**AS PROMISED, I'M UPLOADING TWO TONIGHT! CHAPTER FOUR FOR YA, MY SWEET, SWEET BUNNIES 3**

**(More Blainey-Bear, yet again. I just kinda feel we should get to know him, ai?)**

"_Blaine?" The familiar voice was heard on the staircase. Blaine looked up from the book he was in the middle of reading and jumped out of bed. He hadn't talked to his mother in a week, and he was very excited! At least until he reached the bottom of the stairs where both his mother and his father was waiting. He stopped running at the sight of his father and proceeded down the stairs in a more formal manner._

"_Hello Mother. Father." He nodded to both of them. _

"_Blaine, darling, your father and I have someone we'd like for you to meet." Angela Anderson's eyes were bright green and looked very happy. She was in her fourth month of pregnancy and it showed._

_Blaine looked from his mother to his father, the one whom he mostly resembled. James Anderson was naturally tan and had dark curls, just like his son. His eyes were a dark brown, so Blaine had inherited a bit of both on that part. _

"_Yes," his father said and started walking to the living room. Blaine followed his parents with a tight feeling in his gut. It was never something nice when his father was home. He'd hoped to tell his mother about the boy he met at school today. He was really nice and had blond hair and even his ears were white. His name was Bald. _

_When they entered the room, Blaine knew exactly what he was set up to. At the couch sat a girl and, from the looks of it, her mother. Blaine took a tiny step back, but was pushed forward by his father. _

"_Blaine. This is Juliet and her mother Maria," Angela introduced and sat down on the couch in front of the two strangers. _

_Blaine nodded to the two ladies. "Hello," he said; voice small. He felt his father's hand on his shoulder: it felt heavy and uncomfortable. _

"_We wanted you two to meet before everything became official." James explained. "After all, it's not like we're animals and this is a forced marriage." He laughed, as did Angela and Maria. The girl, Juliet, didn't move an inch. _

"_Marriage?" Blaine squeaked. "But I'm too young for that!" He felt his father's hand tighten. _

"_It's not like you'll marry today, Blaine." His father reasoned. But Blaine felt anything but reasoned. He felt horrified. He didn't even like girls!_

"_But Father, I don't like girls like that. I like them more as my friends. I like Bald," the young teen tried to explain to his father. _

"_What are you talking about, boy?" Blaine cringed. He hated it, when his father called him 'boy'. He was almost always in trouble when it got to that point. _

"_Darling, he doesn't know what he's talking about," his mother tried, but his father was already in was too deep to calm down. _

"_Doesn't know? He's twelve! Of course he knows. And he says he likes boys? I didn't raise you like that! I didn't raise a fucking little fag!" It was like the whole house trembled at his father's words. _

_The pain came long time after the actual hit. Blaine had reached his hand up and touched his burning cheek. Then he'd started crying silently. This had only gotten him into more trouble. Juliet and her mother had left soon after, with storming apologies from Blaine's mother. His father was busy beating the crap out of his own son…_

_His cheek had hurt for days after. And it wasn't more than a month before he was sent to the castle. He didn't get to say goodbye to Bald or anyone else. _

Blaine woke with a horrible headache. He hadn't had that dream for a long time. It was many years ago. He touched his right cheek momentarily. It's not like it hurt anymore. But he had been so scared at the time. His father was a terrifying man. Respected and well-known; liked and even loved by some, but still terrifying. Before he was completely sucked in by the depressing thoughts, he heard small steps on the stairs and Blaine hurried into a pair of pants.

The door to his attic-room was slightly opened and a little head popped inside. He had expected to see Rose, as she sometimes chose to invade his room early in the morning. But this particular morning it was Val who showed up in his room.

"Blaine?" He asked quietly, afraid to wake the older boy.

"Yea Val, what is it?" Blaine sat up straight on the bed.

"Can I come in?" The young boy sounded almost afraid to even ask such a question.

"Sure," he responded and patted on the bed next to him. "Come sit."

They sat in silence for a while. Blaine waited for Val to speak up, since he wouldn't come see him for no reason. That wasn't like the young boy at all.

"Did you want to talk to me about something?" Blaine tried.

"I…" Val seemed to search for the right words.

"Yes?" Blaine said to help him along.

"I just wondered… And I'm sorry, that I even know this, but you guys talked so loudly!" Blaine just looked at the little boy and just smiled. "I wondered if maybe, you know how to… to fight?"

"Yea, I know how to fight," Blaine said, confused. Why would a boy at the age of twelve want to know if he could fight?

"Could you teach me?" _And there's your answer_, Blaine thought sarcastically.

"Well, I guess, if your father's okay with it." He said. He didn't want to teach the kid how to fight if Merv didn't approve of it.

"He is! I'm sure he is!" The light green eyes were almost sparkling with excitement.

"Why do you want to learn how to fight?" He had to ask. He would under no circumstances teach the kid how to fight, if he just wanted to beat other kids up. Blaine knew from own experience that those kind of kid were no good. Val just mumbled inaudibly.

"What?" Blaine listened harder.

"I want to defend myself," he said with more force.

"From who?" Blaine did know the feeling of powerlessness when older and stronger kids had tried to mock him for being who he was.

"The older boys," the young kid said.

"Are they mean?" Blaine had no other way to describe it. He would never call a kid downright evil.

"Yeah," Val murmured.

"Can't you just make your dad talk to them?" He'd love to spend time with the little youngster, but if it was just some small trouble, he wasn't sure he should have a say in it.

"No… It's not something dad can help with." Val seemed very sure of this.

"Why not?"

"Dad's right. You ask a lot." Blaine had to laugh at this. It was true. He _did_ ask a lot - but hey, _ask a lot to know a lot, right? _

"Yea, I know, I'm probably really annoying."

"Oh! No, no, I don't think you're annoying!" Val had taking him way too serious.

"I was only joking, Val, it's okay. So, what are these boys doing to you?"

"They tease me. And hit me." He sounded embarrassed.

"Why?" Blaine really wanted to help this kid. But he couldn't help him if he was the one who started these fights. He'd been _there_ himself.

"Because I'm different. But mama says it's okay to be different! She even says you're different! And you're strong, so I thought…"

"You thought I could help you become strong, so they wouldn't tease you about being different?" Blaine completed.

"Yes," Val answered, looking at his lap.

"Well then, Val," Blaine said. "I'd love to teach you." He hadn't expected the boy to throw his arms around his neck and squeeze; hard.

"Thank you," Val whispered. "Thank you so much."

The two boys walked down to breakfast together with big smiles plastered to their faces. They sat next to each other and when Viola asked what was going on, Val just smiled the brightest smile Blaine had ever seen on the boy's face and said; "Blaine will teach me how to fight!"


	5. A Note

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter kinda stops abruptly, but that's because I had to stop it somewhere, and if it wasn't here, then… yeah, you get the picture. Thank you so much for all the favs and alerts and stuff, I really appreciate it, guys! And now; ENJOY AN EXCITING CHAPTER! :D **

And indeed he would. The lessons started that same afternoon, even though Blaine had tried to make Val wait. The twelve year old had no patience about this. He wanted to fight. And he wanted to fight _now_. Blaine tried to reason him, but then Merv had said it might as well start today as any other day, and he'd had to give in.

Val wasn't the hardest to train. He was tall and slim, fast and strong. Well, stronger than he looked at least. Which wasn't much. He looked like he'd break if you poked him in the side. And that was the reason why Blaine had been very careful and concerned the first hour of their training. Until Val had hit Blaine in the back with a strength he thought was impossible for such a small child. After four full hours of fighting, Blaine stood bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to remember how to breathe.

"I have no idea…. How you keep moving… But I'm dead tired…" He panted. Val simply smiled at him and gently put his hand on Blaine's shoulder. Then he pushed and Blaine was lying on the ground yet again.

"You're so old," Val laughed and ran home. Blaine grumbled from the ground but soon had to sit up. _If I stay here much longer, I'll fall asleep. That kid has too much energy. _He got up and walked back to the village. He'd taken Val a little away to a grass-area, where no one normally went. It gave them the privacy they needed. As Blaine thought about Val's fighting skills, he slowly reached the village. He was just a few blocks away from his (Viola had made him say _his_ instead of their) home when something caught his eye.

Blaine saw the beautiful boy balance a lot of bottles. He also saw how said boy tripped slightly and he couldn't help himself from running the few steps over to help. Blaine grabbed a few of the bottles and bent down to get the ones that had landed on the ground. Luckily they weren't broken. He handed the boy his bottles back, but kept his eyes on the ground. He didn't need to see the furious look on the boy's face to know that he didn't want any help. He nodded as if confirming that the bottles were safe and walked away, biting his bottom lip. He really wanted to talk to the boy, but he had no idea what to say. And his last attempt hadn't been anything near successful.

Blaine completely missed the way the brunette opened his mouth and took a step closer. He simply walked away with slumping shoulders. His mood had been ruined yet again. But it was his own fault, he should've known it would be hard to get to know a mute boy with a scary boss. If he was his boss. Karofsky looked like he was more than that - but then again, what did he know? Blaine was only a stranger passing through. A curious stranger.

When he reached home Val was explaining all the things they had been going through in training with great energy. He showed his dad the movements they'd practiced with a proud smile on his lips. Blaine leaned against the doorframe and felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. The little teen had worked hard. Blaine locked eyes with Merv, who nodded at him as a grin stretched across his face. The broad man was happy for his son and he listened carefully to every word his son spoke.

"Oh Blaine, before I forget. Someone brought you this," Viola said and handed him a piece of paper. On the note was a neatly scribbled, "Thank you. ~K" and Blaine felt his stomach do a flip-flop. _K?_ K must be the beautiful boy, right? Unless he'd helped someone else that day. He thought back. He did help the elderly lady carry her old furniture out of the house, but he knew for a fact that her name was Pauline. _It's him. It has to be. He sent me a note just to say thank you?_ Blaine could've slapped himself. _Of course he sent you a note, idiot. He's mute!_

Viola looked at Blaine with an amused look on her face. She hadn't read the note, of course, but if someone sent notes to the boy, there'd had to be some kind of romance going on. Why ells would someone send a note in this day and age? The only ones who sent notes to each other were lovers. And judging on Blaine's happy expression, there was _something _going on. This was just what the young boy needed to forget his past love, she thought. _Maybe it was that boy who gave me the note? I didn't know Blaine liked that type. Well, I don't really know what type he likes. Maybe I should talk to him. _

Blaine didn't notice Viola's silent gaze at all, he just kept re-reading the note. Should he write him back? Or should he try to talk to him again? _Maybe he'll actually acknowledge my existence this time_, he though with a chuckle.

But Blaine didn't see the boy the next day. Or the one after that. He even went into the nasty little inn to look for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Instead his thoughts, daydreams and dreams at night were revolved around said boy. He really wanted to see him. To talk to him. Even if he got no responds out of him. He dreamt of talking to the boy. To get to know him. To know his name; and the things he liked to do. But when he still hadn't seen him the third day, he began to wonder if maybe the other teen had left town, or maybe he'd noticed Blaine's longing looks (even though he'd kept them to a minimum and tried to hide them well) and decided to avoid him. Or maybe that Karofsky guy had done something to him. He gritted his teeth at this thought. Strangely he didn't have any trouble imagining the big man hurting the slender boy.

On the third night without seeing the boy, Blaine went early to bed. He knew he'd only sit and pretend to be interested in the conversations until he could find a way to excuse himself anyway. So he said goodnight to Vi, Merv and Val, and went to bed at the same time as Rose. The little girl seemed happy at this, but when Blaine left her by her door, her face dropped a bit. _She didn't really think…? _Blaine shook the thought off. He so didn't need to think like that about Rose right now.

He fell asleep quickly, but just like the last couple of days he dreams of the strange boy.

Images of holding hands, sleeping together, kissing; sitting under trees and eating together. And just like in all his other dreams the person at the end of the hand and the lips were the beautiful boy. He wished so badly to know his name. But the boy didn't seem to mind that he could only call him 'love' or 'sweetheart'. Even to himself in his own dreams he sounded tacky, but he couldn't seem to find the will to care. Because he was together with this boy. And this boy would never hurt him or betray him.

As these thoughts went through his mind, the images changed. The boy wasn't standing by his side anymore; he was tied to a tree near him.

_In front of the brunette stood Aldigree with an evil smirk on his face. In his hands, he held a sword. It was Blaine's own. He'd left it at the castle that night when he had run. _

"_No. No, please don't." Blaine voice sounded weak and was barely audible. He tried moving closer, but an invisible force held him to the ground._

_Aldigree just laughed at him. "Why not, Blaine? Why shouldn't I do it? You left me, remember? You left me to die by the hands of our so called friends back at home." _

"_No. No, I would never do that!" Blaine defended. "You sold me out!"_

"_Are you sure about that, Blaine?" Aldigree's voice was hard as stone. "Didn't you ever stop to think that I may have been the one that was sold out? Didn't you ever think the others lied? Didn't you ever stop to think about anyone but yourself?" As his old lover spoke of his biggest and unspoken fears, Blaine fell to his knees. _

"_No," he cried. "No, I would never leave you like that, if you hadn't… If you didn't…" He struggled to find the words. But it was too late. Aldigree help up the sword to the nameless boy's neck and-_

Blaine woke from his dream as a scream reached his ears. This time it wasn't his own. He was covered in sweat from his nightmare, but he forced his eyes open and looked around. He couldn't hear anything unusual. _But_, he thought, _if there's anyone out there…_ He rose from the bed and took the lamp by his bedside. He lit the candle and made his way down the stairs. He reached the kitchen and poked his head outside the door. He couldn't hear or see anything.

Just as he was about to close the door again a soft sound reached his ears and made him turn around. There was nothing but bushes in front of him. _Unless…_ He walked out of the house and towards the bushes. He pushed a couple of branches aside and had to hold back a gasp. Inside the bushed sat the boy he'd been dreaming of for the past two days and nights. The boy looked hurt. His ears had little cuts all over them, his left hand was badly bandaged and his bottom lip was split and swelling. He cringed together when Blaine held out the lamp to get a better look.

Blaine opened his mouth to address the boy. Ask him what had happened. Ask him if he was alright. But he closed it again. He didn't know the boy's name. The boy seemed to recognize him and then quickly covered himself. Only when he did this Blaine noticed what state his clothes were in. They were ribbed and ruined and covered in dirt. Blaine felt his eyes widen. Had anyone…? But then he shook his head. The boy still had his ears. If someone had tried to abuse him, they hadn't succeeded.

Blaine placed the lamp in the ground and inched closer to the boy; slowly, so he didn't frighten him. The boy pushed himself further back, but Blaine just sighed and reached out to him. He was tired; it was the middle of the night. And he was not in the mood for games. He wanted to be gentle to this boy, but he had to get him inside first.

"Okay," he said calmly. "I'll lift you up," the boy winced even more at this statement, but Blaine ignored it. "And then I'll get you inside. Then we'll… fix this." He reached out towards him and when the boy didn't move any further Blaine put his arms around his back and under his legs.

"Hold on to me," he breathed, but the other teen didn't move an inch.

"Please," Blaine said; his voice soft. "I know I'm asking a lot as a complete stranger, but please hold on to me." This seemed to work, because the boy lifted his arms and grabbed Blaine's shoulder and neck. "Could you, maybe, get the lamp?" The curly haired teen asked. He doubted he'd be able to pick it up when he stood. The boy stretched out and took the lamp in one hand; the other still at Blaine's shoulder.

Blaine may not be tall or broad like many other men, but he was stronger than most. He stood up slowly and tugged the boy in his arms closer to his chest. The brunette gasped a bit as Blaine started walking to the house, and he felt the hand on his shoulder tighten it's grip. They got inside safely, but they Blaine stopped dead in his tracks. Where should he put the boy? He needed to get cleaned up for a start. Blaine looked down at the teen in his arms. He was shivering. And biting his already broken lip.

**As I said, abruptly, no? I'm so sorry! But I'll be sure to get the next chapter done soon, so you won't have to wait for long. Oh, and: FINALLY! We've got some Klaine into the picture :D Aren't you happy? I know I am! Thanks for reading! MuchLove. **


	6. Kurt

**A/N: Okay! *wipes sweat off forehead* This is as far as I've written, and this chapter is kinda… Well, it's very emotional, and it was kinda hard for me to write without ruining the story, but I sooo hope you like it. I'd like to credit my awesome friend Johanne (love you, babe!) for kinda-maybe-possibly telling (read: forcing) me to finish today/night :D ENJOY BUNNIES! **

Blaine walked upstairs as quietly as he could and then turned into the bathroom next to his own bedroom. He gently put the boy down and then turned on the hot water. _Good thing I didn't use up all my hot water today_, he thought as he roamed around the room to find the things he needed.

"Do you think, you'd be able to shower by yourself, or should I help you?" Blaine asked and felt his cheeks grow just a bit hotter. He knew he shouldn't let any of this get to his head, but he couldn't help it. He looked at the boy and saw that his cheeks, too, were red. _It's just from the cold outside…_ He reasoned himself.

"Would you like me to help you?" He asked again, this time his voice was a little more firm. When the boy didn't move Blaine sighed. "Look," he said. "I know, you don't trust me, but we have to get you cleaned up, okay? Just let me help you."

The other teen seemed to get a determined look on his face and then he slowly stood up. He began to undress himself, even though he didn't really need to do much other that let go of the parts of clothing he'd gripped onto. It fell to the ground, and Blaine had the decency to drop his eyes to the floor.

"Can you…?" But he didn't need to ask; the boy simply stepped into the tub and ever so slowly lowered himself in the warm water. "I'll get you something to wear," Blaine mumbled as an excuse to get out of the room. The boy's naked shoulders had looked way too tempting to keep staring at. He found a pair of trousers and a shirt in his dresser (Viola had made him buy new clothes the other day, since he only had a few piece with him) and even though it would be a little big on the boy, he didn't really have much choice here. It wasn't like his dresser was a clothing-shop.

Blaine tip-toed into the bathroom again; only to find the boy with his head tilted back, looking like he was sleeping. He walked up to the relaxed teen and suddenly the muscles in the pale arms tightened. A pair of glasz eyes stared up at him and he took a tiny step back until he remembered that this was his own home. He felt much like a peeping tom at the moment. He held out a towel to the brunette, who tried to get up on his own. But even though his arms may have been strong, he was exhausted and couldn't get himself up. Blaine put the towel next to the sink and gulped. He was just going to…

"I'm just going to help you up, okay?" He said as he grabbed the other teens - _slender and pale and smooth and warm and soft and _- slightly wet arms. He saw the boy's jaw tense, but he didn't make any movements of resistance. Blaine slid an arm around his upper back and the other held a tight grip on the brunette's own arm. Then he pulled. The pale boy let out a small whimper but soon stood up on his own legs on the bathroom floor. Blaine released him when he was sure he had found his balance and then quickly wrapped the towel around the naked body; not even daring to let his eyes wonder the tiniest bit.

"I'll…" He cleared his voice. "I'll let you dress, okay?" He saw a small nod from the other boy and then left the room, once again. His heart was pounding in his chest as he fell onto his bed. He'd left the door open so the other boy knew where to go when he'd dressed, but Blaine didn't really know if he could handle any more. All that bare skin, and those eyes… He sighed. _I'm such a pervert. _

He heard the door creak and lifted his head to see the brunette close it behind him. He didn't come closer, but Blaine sat up in the bed and gestured for him to sit down. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Well, Blaine sat in silence. The other boy hadn't spoken a word his whole life as far as Blaine knew.

"Can I ask what happened?" The boy froze and Blaine hurried on, "It's okay if I can't. I just… Well." He risked a glance at the boy. "Can I ask something else then?" The boy turned his head and raised an eyebrow as if to say '_go on'_.

"This note…" Blaine found the note from under his pillow and blushed slightly. He just busted himself in treasuring a tiny piece of paper. "Did you write this?" The boy looked at him and then raised an eyebrow again. _He does that a lot_, Blaine noted.

He nodded.

Blaine couldn't help the grin that showed itself on his face. He tried looking down to hide it. "Your name starts with K?" He asked then. Maybe he could get to know the boy's name, as a kind of thank you for helping him. _Not that I'm expecting any thanks!_

Once again the boy nodded.

"Would it bother you very much if…" Blaine gulped and scratched the back of his head. "If I knew your name?" A smile tugged at the corner of the boy's lips and then he shook his head.

"You can't really tell it to me, can you?" The boy opened his mouth, but then closed it again and shrugged.

"Okay," Blaine said hesitantly. "What if I guessed?" The brunette looked confused. "What if I guess and you just shake your head if it's wrong? But you can, you know, help me a bit. Like, raise your left hand if I'm close and your right if I'm not?" The boy looked amused but only nodded.

"Okay," Blaine said for God know which time. "K… Karl?" Shake. "Koori ?" Shake. "Kano?" Shake. "Kuma?" Left hand. "Kuma is close? Okay, um. Kumi?" Shake. "Kumo?" Shake. "Ku… Wait; is it the Ku that's close?" The boy nodded and tried to hide an amused smile. Blaine kept trying to guess names until the brunette was bending over from choked back laughter. Then said boy held up his hands to stop Blaine's rambling. He snatched the note from Blaine's hands and looked around the room. Blaine soon got the message and found a pen on the old desk in the room. The boy scribbled something down and blew on it. Blaine couldn't tear his eyes away from the pink full lips. Then the boy held out the paper.

"_Kurt_" it said in the same writing as the rest of the note. "Kurt?" Blaine asked and the boy nodded. "Kurt," he repeated as if to taste the name and then he smiled at the boy - at _Kurt_. "I like it!" Then he remembered his manners. "Hello Kurt, I'm Blaine," he said even though he'd already told Kurt his name once before. He held out his hand and he almost gasped when the boy actually shook it.

"So, um… Did you… Would you like to spend the night here?" Blaine asked hesitantly; fighting another blush. But this time the brunette clearly blushed too. "It's okay," Blaine reassured. "You can sleep on the bed." Kurt's head snapped up and the coldness in his eyes were back.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Blaine stuttered and held his hands up in front of him. "I-I'll sleep on the floor, I didn't mean… It's not… I'm sorry," he said and lowered his eyes. He hadn't meant to say it like that. He only meant to make the other teen comfortable. The glasz eyes softened again and then Kurt frowned slightly. He slowly reached over and touched Blaine's arm softly. As the curly haired teen looked up, Kurt opened his mouth - but he was interrupted by heavy steps on the stairs. Both boys turned their heads to look at the door.

The door creaked open and a soft voice spoke. "Blaine? Are you awake?" Kurt looked panicked and his big eyes searched Blaine's. He looked like he'd rather have hidden under the bed or the desk - or just hidden _somewhere_. But Blaine didn't panic; well, not when he realized it was Viola at least.

"No," he answered and earned a '_what in the world are you doing'_ look from Kurt. The brunette actually looked like he could've slapped him.

The blond woman stepped into the room as soon as she had confirmation that Blaine wasn't asleep. She had to choke down a gasp when she saw he wasn't alone. There was another boy in his bed. Viola frowned faintly. _Maybe I should talk to him about…_ But then she realized who the other boy was.

"Blaine. What are you doing?" She'd heard the rumors of this boy. She didn't trust nor like him one bit. She felt terrible for even thinking like that about someone she'd never even talked to, but… Some of those rumors were just too horrible to ignore. And he lived with Karofsky; apparently of his own free will. And that man was nothing but trouble.

Blaine of course misunderstood her harsh tone completely and stood up; panicking and waving his hands around in front of him all the while a bright red colored his cheeks.

"No, no, it's not like that, Kurt's hurt and I only wanted to help, and… Oh, _damn_!" He turned to the other teen. "I'm sorry; I don't even know if you'd like anyone to know your name or if it's a secret or anything, and I just blurted it out, I'm so sorry!"

Viola looked at the curly haired teen with a confused expression. Didn't want anyone to know his name? She looked at the boy on the bed, and suddenly her eyes softened. The brunette had pulled his knees up to his chest and he was biting his lower lip - which looked bloody and split. Then she noticed the cuts and bruises on the teen and she could've kicked herself. Which she did; mentally. This boy was hurt. And here she was; upset over a couple of stupid rumors. What did it matter if he lived under the roof of David Karofsky, when he was here now, under her roof? She walked over to the bed and didn't miss the way the boy flinched as she came closer.

"Here, let me take a look at that," she said. Kurt moved away from her touch; but this was a mother to two he was dealing with, so she just took his chin into her hand and turned his head from side to side.

"Ah!" Blaine said from where he was standing and raised a hand; but then shut his mouth. And soon after the hand fell to his side once again.

"What is it, Blaine?" Viola asked without taking her eyes off the bloody lip in front of her. It needed cleaning. _If he's lucky, he won't have to get stitches._

"Um, just… Be careful," he mumbled and then Vi turned to look at him. So did the brunette. Blaine blushed a bit. "Well, um, he's hurt kind of badly, so I just…" He scratched the back of his head.

_Oh_, Viola thought. _Maybe I'm not that bad at guessing after all. _She looked at the boy in front of her and then back at Blaine. "I'll go find something to clean this cut," she announced. "Kurt, was it?" She asked and locked her dark blue eyes with the glasz. The boy narrowed his eyes slightly but nodded nonetheless. "Okay. Kurt, I don't think you'll need stitches this time, but we have to clean the wound. Do you understand?" He nodded again. "Good," she said and rose from the bed. Before walking out the door, she put a hand on Blaine's shoulder.

She almost hadn't closed the door behind her, before Blaine was on his knees next to the bed. "I'm really, really sorry, Kurt, I know I shouldn't have said your name in front of her without your permission, but it slipped and…" Kurt raised his hand to silence the blabbering boy. Glasz then locked with Hazel. _They look almost green right now_, Blaine noticed but didn't look away. The brunette smiled a crooked kind of half-smile and patted the other teen lightly on the shoulder.

Blaine felt his body move forward on instinct, but he got a hold of himself and rose from the floor to cover it. "Um, okay, so I'll…" He cleared his throat. "I'll just go get some blankets and stuff," he finished and walked out the door; down to the kitchen where he knew they kept extra blankets.

When he entered the room again, he found Viola sitting in front of Kurt and dab something on said boy's lower lip. He flinched, but didn't move away from the blond woman's touch. When neither of the two in the room moved when Blaine walked into the room, he just placed the blankets on the floor and went out to get the extra matrass in the attic. He'd slept on the exact same the first night he'd spend in this house, so it didn't bother him to use it again.

He came into his bedroom, just as Viola was leaving. "He's very tired," she said and Blaine interrupted her before she got the chance to say anything else. "Did he say that?" His eyes grew. _Maybe…_

"No, silly," she laughed. "A mother can tell stuff like that. Now go to bed, and we'll talk about this in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," Blaine nodded and walked into the room again. Kurt still sat on the bed, though now he was wrapped in the duvet. Blaine placed the mattress on the floor next to the bed; not too close, he didn't want to seem intruding. _In my own room. _He sighed and got himself comfortable between the blankets.

"Goodnight Kurt," he said softly as he heard (and partly saw) the noise of the comforter being pulled up over the brunette's shoulders. Then he blew out the lamp's light and soon after fell asleep.

xxx

He woke by a broken sob. His eyes fluttered open and he listened. _It's clearly not me._ It took him a few seconds to remember why he was laying on a mattress on the floor._ But then it has to be…_ He turned his head to look up at the boy in his bed. He saw the duvet move in tiny little shakes. He sat up and rubbed his eyes with the ball of his hand and then inched closer to the bed.

"Kurt?" He called with a hoarse voice. There was no response, and the shaking even stopped a little. He cleared his throat and sat up. "Kurt?" He tried again. Still no response, but the shakings didn't stop this time. It only seemed like they got worse.

"Kurt," Blaine said and moved closer to the bed. "What's wrong?" He asked. He gently put a hand on the shaking, pale shoulder under the duvet. When Kurt still didn't respond, Blaine took a great chance and pulled - still softly - at the shoulder to make the brunette turn his head.

A pair of bloodshot and wet blue eyes looked up at him with a hurting expression. He felt his heart skip a beat; and not in the good way. The full lips were trembling and they were slightly parted, until the lower got worried between a set of perfectly white teeth. Then the most heartbroken sound Blaine had ever heard escaped from the mouth. Kurt was _sobbing_. The most beautiful boy in the whole world was sobbing right in front of him, and Blaine couldn't even say anything.

Without thinking he reached out his arms and picked Kurt up in a tender but firm hug. At first the brunette froze, but soon he relaxed into the embrace and the sobbing started again. A pair of trembling arms reached around Blaine's back and buried themselves in his shirt. He tightened his grip on Kurt's body and started whispering soothing things into his ear.

"It's going to be alright Kurt, I promise. I won't let anyone get you. I'll protect you. Please stop crying Kurt, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. You're safe here," he whispered and soon the sobbing toned down. Blaine didn't feel the tiniest need to let go of the shaking boy in his arms, so he just lowered himself, until they were both lying on the bed; Blaine's arms still securely around the other teen.

They fell asleep like that.

**A/N: I may not be able to upload so frequently from now on, since I'm working on three, no wait, four series at the moment, but I will try my upmost best, I promise! Well.. Tell me what you think of Hurt!Kurt and all the other stuff, okay? Reviews are my own personal brand of heroin, remember? ;) **

**MuchLove! **


	7. Memories

**A/N: I had a really hard time writing this chapter - and I know that's not an excuse for going so long without uploading, so I made this chapter a (tiny) bit longer than my normal ones, and I've already started on the next chapter, so I won't let you wait this long again! I'm sorry, but I hope you'll enjoy this! **

Blaine felt a movement to his left and turned his head; eyes still closed. He opened one eye and waited for the blurriness to disappear. The sight that he saw hit him like a bucket of cold water. Both his eyes flew open. Kurt was lying on his side in the crook of Blaine's left arm; one of his arms pressed up against his chest, while the other was placed under his head. His eyes were closed and his face relaxed. His full lips were slightly parted and an even breathing came out of the soft-looking mouth. Blaine gulped. There were only a few inches between the two teens. _And it's not like he'll wake up… _Blaine mentally slapped himself. _Don't even think about it, Anderson. What are you; an old creep? _

He breathed out slowly and closed his eyes. He tried thinking of something else than the beautiful boy sleeping next to him. A soft melody formed in his mind and he played a couple of times in his head. Blaine had done this since he was a child. When he wanted to run away, be alone or just get his thoughts away from all things around him, he made up melodies and songs in his head. He parted his lips and let the melody flow in a low humming. Suddenly the words that fit the melody popped up in his head too.

This silly little crush, he murmured.

Lying next to me; deep in sleep, he smiled affectionately at the other teen.

Reaching forward, holding back a flush- As he sang these words, he brushed a finger down Kurt's cheeks.

As I brush by your teary cheek, Blaine ended quietly. Little did he know that the brunette's breathing was slightly uneven and the pale eyelids fluttered almost unnoticeably. The curly haired teen looked up to the window and saw that it was still dark outside. So he snuggled closer to Kurt (unintentionally of course, he would never do that on purpose) and then closed his eyes again; he fell asleep with a happy smile on his face.

xxx

It would be a lie to say that Blaine was comfortable in his sleep. His left arm was sleeping, he was pushed to the edge of the bed and his head was lying in a weird angle. But to say that he wasn't happy was a lie too. Because he was sleeping next to a beautiful boy-

Or at least he _was_. Until the moment he woke. He was shoved off the bed and hit the floor with a loud _thud_ and an even louder groan. He looked up into a pair of bright blue eyes and almost choked on his own breath. Kurt was sitting in the bed and looking down at him with an unreadable look on his face. The shoulder of his - or rather Blaine's - shirt was hanging down his right arm. And it gave Blaine a perfect (and absolutely impossible to refuse looking at) view of pale, smooth skin and a strongly marked collarbone. He snapped himself out of his trance with a shake of the head.

"Why did you…?" He trailed off. It wasn't like Kurt could answer him. But then he got something even more breath-taken than an actual answer. He got a giggle. A real life, light headed, high pitched giggle. Blaine couldn't help but smile back at the brunette sitting in his bed. He was just about to say something, when there was a knock on the door. Viola peaked inside.

"Morning boys," she said cheerfully. She noticed Blaine sitting awkwardly on the floor and… _Oh_, she thought. The mattress on the floor looked untouched. _I shouldn't say anything_, she decided and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Blaine saw her searching gaze and blushed slightly.

"Good morning," he responded with a smile. He saw Kurt nod in greeting.

"Would you like some breakfast?" The blonde woman asked. Blaine turned his head to look at the brunette. _I don't even know if he'd be comfortable to eat with m…Us. I meant us. _But Blaine didn't have to worry, because Kurt nodded with a faint smile on his lips. The curly haired teen brightened by this.

"Yes please!" He said enthusiastically and jumped up from the floor. Kurt carefully stepped down from the bed and then the beautiful reached up his arms stretched his entire body. Blaine couldn't help but stare at the little piece of skin that showed itself on the brunette's stomach. Viola noticed where Blaine's eyes were looking and had to choke back a laugh. _So obvious. _

"I'll go get the food ready, you boys hurry down, okay?" Blaine snapped out of his trance and quickly said, "Ok!" And then the two boys were alone again.

"Um," Blaine began. "Would you like to borrow some clothes? I don't think what you wore yesterday is… Um. I'm not sure if you can… Errr." His babbling earned him a slight smile from the other teen, who then nodded. Blaine found a pair of trousers and a shirt and handed it to Kurt.

"I'm… I'll go change in the bathroom," he said awkwardly and left the room with his own set of clothes. He closed the door and slumped back against it.

"He's pretty." Blaine jumped up and locked eyes with Rose. She smiled and walked past him with little bouncing steps.

"Um, Rose?" He called after her.

"Yes?" She was still smiling. But there was something off about the smile.

"Could you please… not tell people about him being here?" Blaine asked and scratched the back of his head. It sounded like he was trying to hide Kurt, but he felt like the brunette wouldn't like it if everybody knew he had been here. He was mysterious and secretive and he didn't seem like the kind of person who'd want the whole world to know he slept in the same bed as Blaine. Said boy blushed at the thought and completely overlooked the hurt that crossed the little girl's face.

"Of course," she mumbled and ran down the stairs. Blaine walked into the bathroom with a goofy smile plastered on his face. He changed into the clean set of clothes and then got out and knocked on the door to his room. _This is so weird. Having to knock on one's own door. Because there's a boy in there changing. A boy who I've slept in the same bed as._ He blushed again and had to put a hand in front of his mouth to hide the grin, when the door opened.

Kurt stepped out dressed in Blaine's too-big clothes and ran a hand through his hair. He looked kind of shy. _Maybe he feels uncomfortable in my clothes_, Blaine realized and suddenly he felt awkward again. But Kurt didn't seem to notice, because he walked past him to the stairs and then turned around to wait for the other boy. Blaine scrambled to the stairs and led the way to the kitchen, where Viola was waiting with eggs, bacon and bread.

_Wow,_ Blaine thought. _We haven't eaten this fancy ever since I got here. _He stole a glance at Kurt and has to hold down a gasp. The other teen looked absolutely sparkling. His eyes were a dark blue and shining, his mouth hang open and his cheeks had taken an excited red color. _I'm not the only one who's impressed, it seems_. Blaine chuckled and sat down at the table expecting Kurt to sit down next to him - but he didn't. He stood awkwardly in by the door and looked like he was suffering. Viola looked at him with a raised eyebrow and then thought of something.

"Please join us at the table, Kurt," she said softly. She had entered the Karofsky household once before; when the old Paul Karofsky had still been alive. _He was a lovely man. Too bad her son didn't take after him. Instead he had to go inherit his mother's outlook on life. _The Karofskys were very old fashioned, and you had to get permission to sit down and eat. Viola remembered how Paul had immediately forgiven her for sitting down when they had to eat; while Mrs. Karofsky had glared daggers at her the rest of the evening. She'd never stepped a foot inside that house since.

Kurt bowed slightly and took a seat next to Blaine - who didn't get a thing of what he was seeing. _He thinks he needs permission to sit down and eat? What kind of people are the Karofskys? _Blaine decided he'd have to talk to Viola about, since she seemed to know more about it. They ate in silence after that.

When they finished Blaine was about to stand up and put his plate in the sink, but before he even stood up, Kurt had taken all three plates on the table. Then he bowed slightly - again - for Viola who just smiled back at him. Blaine had no idea what was going on. Kurt acted like a… a servant. _Maybe he's the Karofskys' servant? _Blaine wondered and once again he wished Kurt could talk, so he could ask him all these questions.

Blaine felt a light pressure to his shoulder and looked up in the eyes from his dreams. Kurt gestured to the door and the curly haired teen stood and walked over to open it. They stood in the opening until Viola left the kitchen - she was a mother, of course she knew when to scam. Kurt locked eyes with her and they exchanged a silent _thank you_. Viola nodded to the slim boy and then left the room.

"You're gonna be alright?" Blaine asked as the brunette stepped out of the house.

Kurt nodded.

"Can I… see you again?" He asked, hating the fact that it sounded like he was begging.

The brunette sent him a tiny smile and nodded again, before patting him lightly on the arm, turning around and walking away; leaving Blaine behind with butterflies in his stomach.

"Vi?" Blaine asked as he closed the door. He'd heard the older woman step into the kitchen again when he'd been standing in the doorway; gazing after Kurt.

"Yes?" The blond answered.

"Do you know why Kurt behaved like that before? Like… Like he was out servant?"

"The Karofskys are very old fashioned, Blaine. This is just how they do things, and they must've raised Kurt the same as their own kids," Viola explained.

"Kurt's not their child?" Blaine asked, confused.

"He doesn't exactly look like them, right? Or do you think Dave looks old enough to have a child your age?" She chuckled a bit as Blaine blushed.

"No. I guess not. But why is he living with them then?" He shrugged and sat down at the table.

"I don't know sweetie. I think Paul found him somewhere and took him home, but it's only rumors." _And all the other rumors about this boy are clearly lies, so I don't even know if that is what happened. _

"Paul?" He supported his chin in his hand as Viola sat down too.

"Oh, you haven't met him. He was Dave's father," the blonde said with sad smile.

"So… He's dead?" Blaine couldn't really help but feel a little bad for David Karofsky. But only a little.

"Yes, sadly. Paul was a good man."

"Karofsky isn't," Blaine growled before he could stop himself.

"It's not Dave's fault, Blaine." Viola said. "His mother is not easy to live with."

"But that's no reason for abusing Kurt!" He tried to keep his voice down, but his hands were balled into fists on the table.

"Maybe they had a fight - and no, I'm not defending him." She reassured, when Blaine opened his mouth to protest. "He's a lot bigger than Kurt, and he shouldn't fight in the first place." Blaine didn't want to sound like he blamed Viola, but he got more and more upset. Because, really? A fight?

"You wouldn't tear someone's clothes in a fight!" He hissed. Viola's eyes grew and she stuttered as she answered.

"W-what do you mean?"

"His clothes were ruined! Why do you think I had to help him shower and loan him a set of clothes, Vi?" Blaine said, voice still raised.

"Oh my god," Viola mumbled. Who'd do something like that to their own household? Kurt had to be seen as a member of that family, or he wouldn't live there. And who'd done it? Dave? "That poor boy."

"Yeah," Blaine murmured. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to let Kurt go back. He wanted to make him safe - he had promised to keep him safe. He hid his face in his hands and let out a loud sigh. He felt a warm pressure on his shoulder. Viola looked down at him with a sympatric expression on her face.

"There's not much you can do about it, Blaine. But if you just try being there for him, I'm sure he'll be fine. He doesn't seem like he's ever had any friends, but he looks like a strong kid," she said and squeezed his shoulder before walking out from the kitchen again.

Blaine's head hit the table with a loud _bang_. He really needed to find a way to help Kurt. Being there didn't really seem like enough. _And what if Karofsky tries to do something like this again? What if he can't run away? What if I'm not there to save him?_ Blaine shivered at the mental images. He'd seen way too much of those kind of things already. He clearly remembered the first time he'd laid eyes on a homosexual boy in the castle. He'd been bruised, his ears were gone, his lips split, he'd had a swelling around one eye, and the worst part; the way he walked. Even the most stupid of the soldiers couldn't help but notice how he limped and almost cried when he had to sit down. He'd looked like that for weeks before he finally ran off. Blaine also remembered the other's faces when they'd noticed what he was. They'd bullied him, hit him, and kicked him. And when he was gone, they'd just been standing there and laughing with cold eyes.

Blaine hugged himself as the memories started to flow through him. He'd wanted to help. He really had. But he was scared. He didn't want to be the next. And he was the new kid - he got enough bullying as it was. If they'd ever found out, he was gay… He shuddered. It would have been him. He wouldn't have had the strength to keep up for weeks of being harassed. He would've done like Jacob had. Ended his life hanging from the ceiling, while they all stared and some of them even laughed. "He deserved it, that little fag," Blaine recalled them saying. He'd spent that night spilling his guts out into a bucket.

But then he'd met Aldigree. Sweet, caring Aldigree. Who'd started talking to him, even though all the others avoided him. Aldigree, who had showed Blaine the best ways around the castle. Aldigree, who had told Blaine he wanted them to be together. Aldigree that had promised Blaine he'd be there to protect him forever. Protect him from everything; even his father. Blaine felt the warm knot of anger and disappointment in his stomach squirm. But Aldigree had betrayed him. He'd ripped his heart out; even though he'd told Blaine he loved him, and he'd promised they'd spend the rest of their lives together. Blaine felt angry tears well up in his eyes.

Kurt should never have to go through stuff like that. Never. _I'll protect him. _

**A/N: Okay! So next chapter will most likely have some Blaine vs. Karofsky! You excited? I know I am! :DD**


	8. Friendship

**A/N: Yes, you are allowed to kill me. I have no excuse for not updating sooner; school came into my life again, that's it. I'm so sorry. **

Blaine had sat in the kitchen for a long time after that, just thinking. There was not really anything he could do to protect Kurt. He could keep an eye on the teen when he was on the street, but he couldn't do anything when Kurt was inside the Karofsky house. Not unless he started working there, and Viola would never let him. And he wasn't sure if Mrs. Karofsky would like it very much either. She sounded like a strict and malicious woman. Blaine shuddered. He wasn't so sure if he'd like to even be near that house. _So,_ he decided, _I'll just have to keep Kurt out of there as much as I can._

And that's exactly what the curly haired teen did. He ran all the errands, he possibly could, and he kept an eye out for the other teen. And Kurt did seem to notice. At first he'd been acting like always; ignoring everybody, only focusing on the task at hand (which almost always was carrying heavy things, and for one reason or another it annoyed Blaine to the point where he wanted to go and carry it for the slender boy). But soon the brunette began to show small signs of happiness; or at least something that resembled it. He would catch Blaine's eyes and give an almost invisible nod, and he sometimes he would even smile; not big and bright, but a tiny little smile.

Soon the two boys began to evolve a kind of communication with each other. If Kurt didn't nod, he was having a bad day, and Blaine would take a huge risk and pass him; close enough to nudge him lightly in the side. And if Blaine was having a particular bad day (which normally were the days when he'd dreamt of Aldigree and woken up crying), Kurt would notice. He wouldn't go as far as Blaine; he always kept his distance. But he would frown and search Blaine's face until their eyes locked, and then he'd raise an eyebrow as if to ask _are you okay?_ It always had Blaine smiling, because no one else knew that they were having a word-less conversation across the market. And no one else got Kurt's tiny smiles; they were always directed at Blaine.

After a few weeks they worked out this routine, where Blaine would wait for Kurt to arrive and they would walk next to each other; Blaine helping Kurt carry the heaviest tings. Kurt had protested at first, but he couldn't exactly _say_ anything, yet alone tell the curly haired teen he wanted to carry it himself. From what Blaine gathered, Kurt worked in the kitchen at the inn, where he'd first laid eyes on him. He always walked from the path in the forest to the inn in the village. Blaine had asked him once, what he did in the forest, but Kurt had just shrugged and smiled that little secretive smile of his. Blaine would follow Kurt to the inn and then run his own errands.

The curly haired teen soon found out, that Kurt didn't have much free time on his hands. And when he did have it, he'd spend it alone. But somehow Blaine found a way to wiggle his way into that certain time. He'd first discovered Kurt's 'alone-time' one evening, where he'd been going for a walk. He'd slept badly the night before and really didn't feel like going to bed, so he decided he might as well use his extra energy to something. He had walked up the little paths in the forest and got to a hollow of some kind, where he could sit and watch the stars. Blaine had sat down and then about half an hour later, Kurt had appeared. The brunette had seemed surprised to find Blaine there; but not in the bad way. He'd just looked around and then sat next to him. Blaine had wondered if he should say something, but he'd decided against it. This was Kurt's place to be alone at night, and Blaine's talking would ruin it.

The next day Blaine had walked to the same place again, at proximity the same time. And just as he had hoped, Kurt showed up not long after. And this time there was no surprised look on his face. There was actually a hint of a smile. The two boys met up every evening after that. Viola had looked at Blaine in a funny way in the beginning, but the curly haired teen had just flashed her a smile and made his way to the forest. And after that she began packing food for the two teens. She was not hinting anything, she told herself. She just wanted Blaine to get along with his new… friend. Kurt hadn't seemed to mind much that there suddenly was food, even though it was late in the evening. He ate as if he hadn't gotten anything all day. _And maybe he hasn't_, Blaine caught himself thinking. He had no idea how Kurt was treated in the Karofsky house.

And then one day Kurt didn't show up at the market. Blaine felt himself panic. The last time Kurt had been gone, Blaine had found him in front of the house; hurt. He couldn't bear to witness that ever again. He never wanted that to happen to Kurt anymore. The boy did not deserve it; he'd had it rough enough already. Blaine stumbled home and put all of his tasks down, then went looking for Viola.

"Vi," he panted. "Where does Karofsky live?" Viola looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"In his house, I would guess. What happened Blaine?"

"Where's the house? Please Vi, I need to go there!" His panic was starting to show, and he couldn't even stand still. He kept jumping from one foot to the other.

"Is something wrong?" The blond woman was beginning to worry.

"No, I don't know, please just tell me where Viola!" And so she did. The curly haired teen thanked her and then sped out the house. He didn't have time for this.

Blaine ran to the Karofsky house; it was placed in the light part of the forest. _So that's why he always comes from the forest!_ Blaine didn't know what else to do. He knocked on the door, but nobody answered. Not that he would know what to say, if anybody opened. 'Excuse me, I'm worried for Kurt, because I'm pretty much in love with him, so is he here?' Blaine froze in his thoughts. In love. He was in love with Kurt. He knocked harder on the door. Still nothing. Then he heard noises from his left; their barn. It sounded like something had been knocked over. He sneaked to the door and looked inside. He felt his blood turn ice-cold. Up against a wall stood Kurt; with his arms pinned over his head by a broad hand. His hair was a mess and his clothes were ripped. Blaine could see tears running down the teen's red cheeks. But the eyes were not sad; they were angry. And Kurt was biting his lip from the inside. It looked like he was trying not to scream or yell at whoever it was, that was holding him.

Then Blaine looked at the other man. He was tall and broad, his hair was brown and his clothes were dirty. The man spoke. It was so low; it could be described as a whisper. But Blaine heard it clearly.

"So you thought I didn't know, huh? How you always run around with that brat?" It was David Karofsky. And he was mad. Blaine had no idea what to do. He was half Karofsky's size, and even though he was strong, the upper hand would surely go to the bigger man. The curly haired teen looked around the barn for something to use as a weapon. He was a trained soldier for God's sake, there had to be something he could do. As he looked around, his gaze reached at Kurt. They made eye-contact and the brunette's eyes grew big; as if in fear or shock. This made Karofsky turn around, but Blaine ducked behind the door. He wasn't seen.

"What are you looking at, slut?" Blaine gritted his teeth at the way Karofsky spoke to Kurt. That was the way the soldiers back at the castle had spoken to the homosexual kid. And Blaine hated it. He had hated it then; and he hated it now. The only difference was that this time he couldn't just stand and watch. This was Kurt. This was the boy he'd fallen in love with. This was the boy who, even though he didn't speak, could make Blaine laugh and smile and feel those precious butterflies in his stomach.

Blaine bent to his knees and crawled into the barn as quietly as he could. He slowed his breathing just like he'd learned it at the castle; just before an attack. Calmed down his nerves. Crawled further into the barn. He searched the floor and walls. _There has to be something I can use_. His eyes locked in a shovel, and he bit his lip as he slowly sneaked closer and closer to it.

_Okay Anderson, you have to be quick here. No mess ups. _Blaine slowly rose from the floor; eyes shifting between the shovel and Karofsky. It would never work, if he was heard or seen; he had to have the advantage of surprise, or he'd never be able to help Kurt. Blaine reached his hand out and wrapped it around the shaft of the shovel. He gripped it tightly and got it down from the wall without a noise. He locked his eyes to Karofsky's back.

He could hit him in the head; that would surely make the older man pass out. But Blaine had never been a fighter. There was a possibility that he could hit Karofsky in a wrong way, and he'd die. Blaine couldn't have that on his consciousness; even if he did hate the man. But then he caught Kurt's eyes again. Karofsky was kissing, or biting him on the neck and Kurt looked like he was about to vomit. His lips were pressed together in a tight line and his eyes were shining with unshed tears; tears of anger and humiliation. Kurt's eyebrows frowned and he looked like he just begged Blaine to _do something_, before the broad man had his way with him. Blaine sneaked a look at Kurt's ears; they were still there. He had come in time.

Blaine lifted the shovel soundlessly and swung it down _hard_ on Karofsky's head. He was both relieved and concerned when he didn't hear any bones breaking. But the bigger man fell to the ground with a groan and Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes. They were free of tears and had a look of determination. He stepped over Karofsky, and Blaine thought he saw him almost stomping on the other man. But apparently Karofsky wasn't completely unconscious, and he grabbed Kurt's leg so the slender teen fell into the ground. Blaine lifted the shovel and brought it down on the broad man's wrist. Karofsky made a sound of pain and Blaine was about to run over to help Kurt up; the brunette had made his way to the door. But before Blaine even had the chance to get over to Kurt, he felt a tight grip on his ankle and soon he found himself lying in the dirt. He quickly turned to his back; just in time to see Karofsky get on top of him. Luckily Blaine knew what to do; he'd practiced this exact attack with the other boys at the castle a million times. He curled his legs up and placed them in Karofsky's stomach when the bigger man lowered himself to set in another punch. Then he stretched his legs in a fierce kick and sent the other man stumbling back.

"Kurt, run!" Blaine yelled as he scrambled to get up. He didn't get far, before Karofsky was over him again; shoving him to the ground. Blaine got the breath knocked out of him, but he didn't have time to even inhale, before Karofsky had picked up the shovel and swung it down at him. The curly haired teen rolled away and quickly got to his feet. He bent in his knees and focused his breathing. _So all that training is finally going to help me out_, Blaine thought sarcastically as Karofsky threw himself at the smaller teen.

Blaine strode to the side and got a good kick in; directed at Dave's lower ribs. He heard a sickening crack and cursed himself for having used too much strength, but when the big man just spat insulting words and swore at him, he went in for another punch. _Please just pass out, I don't want to ki-_ But when Karofsky hit him on the side of the head, his fighting instincts took over. They used to tease him at the castle; for being too weak and for not wanting to fight all the time. But when he was forced into a corner, Blaine fought better than all the others.

His head became clear and he circled around Karofsky; ignoring the throbbing over his right eye, where he'd been hit less than a minute ago. He got in to a punching-range but then fell to his knees right in front of the man; who had swung his arms out in a hit. Blaine shot up and knocked the bigger man over, then got his hands around Karofsky's neck. He put pressure on the exact places where he'd learned. He'd always hated this exercise; but it proved to work pretty well, because soon the man underneath him fell silent.

Blaine sighed heavily and put a hand on his swelling eye. It hurt like hell. Then he looked up and locked eyes with Kurt. The brunette looked at him with big eyes, and then glanced to Karofsky as if to ask _did you kill him_? Blaine shook his head as he stood.

"I made him faint," he explained and arched his back, so it made a cracking sound. Then he looked down at the unconscious man on the ground. "We need to get away from here," he mumbled. Kurt nodded and limped out of the barn. Blaine followed him.

"What happened?" The hazel eyed teen asked. He knew Kurt couldn't answer him, but he felt like he should ask.

Kurt locked eyes with him and his lips formed a tight line again. Then he gestured to his clothing; which were ribbed and ruined and hanging down his body in weird clumps, only held up by the brunette's hands. Blaine could've slapped himself. _Yea, great, so not obvious. _But then he shook his head.

"Are you okay?" He asked and took a step closer to the other teen.

Kurt just shrugged as an answer and pulled the ragged clothing tighter around him.

Suddenly they heard a groan from the barn. _Fuck. I didn't do a very good job,_ Blaine thought, and then - without thinking - he grabbed Kurt's hand and ran as fast as he could down the path leading away from the Karofsky house.

"We need to get away from here, Kurt. I am not leaving you with him again!" Blaine panted as they ran. He didn't expect Kurt to react, but he felt the brunette squeeze his hand. They ran past all the people on the market, and everybody looked after them, but they didn't have time to care. They reached Blaine's house in record time. The curly haired teen ran inside the house and almost collided with Merv.

"What the hell-" He got a look of the two boys. Blaine with a black eye and dirty clothes; and Kurt with ruined clothes and bruises everywhere. "What happened?" Merv demanded.

"I don't have time to explain, we have to get away right now!" Blaine said and tried to walk past the older man, but Merv wasn't having any of that.

"Why, Blaine?" Blaine flinched at the mention of his name. Merv didn't use his name very often, he'd normally address him as 'kid' or 'son'. "Don't we deserve to know, why you're running away?" Merv looked at Kurt. "And with him?"

"I…" Blaine looked helplessly at Kurt. The other teen weren't going to be much help in explaining, but that meant, that Blaine had to be very careful in how he told Merv this. He didn't know if Kurt wanted people to know. But then again, this was Merv.

"Karofsky is abusing Kurt," Blaine said with a calm voice. Kurt's head snapped up and Blaine saw the humiliation clearly through the blue eyes. "I'm sorry Kurt, t but they need to know," he mumbled softly.

Merv looked from one boy to the other. He couldn't believe his own ears. He knew Dave was kind of giving the kid a hard time, but he had no idea, that was what was happening behind the walls of the Karofsky house. He gritted his teeth. There was nothing he could do, what happened in one's home, was one's business, that was the rules of the village. But then he looked at Kurt again, and this time really looked at him. The slender teen was covered in bruises and cuts; old and new. His lips were bloody, and you couldn't even call the rags he was wearing clothes anymore. Merv sighed.

"We have to get you some clothes, and then we need to pack a bag. You'll borrow one of my horses," he said and walked up the stairs to find a riding-bag. Blaine looked after him with eyes big with surprise. Then he turned to Kurt.

"It's going to be okay now," he said with a tiny smile. "He won't ever hurt you again."

Blaine wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Kurt's shoulder relax a little bit at the statement. But he didn't have much time to think about it; they had to pack. And they had to pack fast - because down in the village a raging Karofsky was stomping around looking for them.


	9. Escaping

**Hi guys. **

**For a start I'd like to say this: As some of you may know, I've been hospitalized for a week now (don't worry, I'm fine!), and that's why I've been quiet for a while (not on tumblr tho, I spend all my time there when I'm chained to the hospital bed!). **

**On another note, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to amest-ibovvered, because it's this lovely girl's fault that there will even be an update today. Thank you so much for your review, sweetheart! It woke me up from my post-hospital-depression. **

**And now I won't keep it from you guys anymore! I'm sorry it took me so long, but I do think I'll be quicker from now on. If not? Spam me. On tumblr, twitter or here. Anywhere. That apparently helps XD ENJOY!**

It didn't take them long to get everything packed; some clothes, a little money (Merv had insisted to lend them some) and then some food. Kurt dressed in a new set of Blaine's clothes and soon they found themselves standing outside the house; ready to leave.

"Good thing we live outside the actual village," Merv mumbled as he got the bag fastened to the horse. Viola stood in the doorway with tears in her eyes. Val was hiding behind her with a confused look. He didn't know why Blaine was going; he just knew that something was wrong. Rose was nowhere to be found.

"You'll have to go by foot into the north side of the forest," Merv said and handed Blaine the reins. "And if people ask-"

"Just tell them I stole your horse. I don't want you to get into any trouble," Blaine said.

"You are no trouble for us, Blaine," Viola ensured. "We will tell them, that you're not here, and nothing else." Merv nodded at this. Val suddenly stepped forward and ran with open arms to Blaine. He hugged the older boy tight. Blaine felt a sudden pain to his chest. He'd finally found himself a home, where he belonged, and now he had to leave it. He locked eyes with Kurt. He couldn't leave the other boy, and he was in as much trouble as the brunette. He petted Val's head gently and then pried his arms away.

"Listen Val," he said softly and looked the young boy in the eyes. "Don't ever let the bullies bring you down, okay? You're a magnificent fighter, so you'll be able to defend yourself, but even if you're different from the others, you're still a hundred times better than they are. Okay?"

The tall boy nodded and rubbed his eyes, so his tears wouldn't spill. Then he turned to Kurt, who looked a bit shaken when the suddenly fierce looking green eyes were directed at him.

"Take good care of him," Val said with a calm voice. He saw Blaine as an older brother, and he wouldn't forgive anyone for hurting his family. Not even if it was the boy, Blaine loved. Perhaps Blaine had only just realized his own feelings now, but Val had seen the two teens together. He'd seen the way Blaine looked at the beautiful brunette. Heard the way his voice softened when he spoke of him. Yes, Val had known about Blaine's love for a long time. After all they weren't so different from each other, the two boys.

Kurt nodded as an answer to the younger boy and then turned to look at Blaine. The curly haired teen had tears in his eyes, but he quickly rubbed them away and grabbed the reins.

"Goodbye," he said with a thick voice and then gestured for Kurt to follow him.

"Be careful!" Viola said and pulled her own, biologic son into a hug; as if she could comfort the boy who was now leaving them through him. Blaine waved behind him and then the two teens were on their way away from the village; and from Karofsky.

They walked in silence; much like they always did, except the fact that Blaine did not speak nor smile. And Kurt didn't either. They were both paranoid and scared. Because what if Karofsky came after them? Blaine suddenly cursed himself for leaving his sword back at the castle. He should've thought about protecting himself - and now Kurt - instead of just thinking about how he wanted to forget everything that could be associated with that place. There wasn't much he could do without a weapon; he might be an excellent fighter, but Karofsky was twice his size and the powers behind the broad man's punches were not to be made fun of.

A sudden movement to the left made both boys turn; Blaine positioned himself with parted feet and was getting ready to defend them - when Rose stepped out of the bushes. Blaine relaxed but narrowed his eyes.

"Rose, what are you doing out here?" He asked.

"I wanted to say goodbye," the small girl mumbled and looked down.

"Well, you should've been at the house, it's too dangerous out here, you shouldn't-" He was interrupted by Kurt. The brunette held up a hand and then walked over to Rose. He bent slightly in his knees, so their eyes were in the same height. Blaine had not noticed the tears in the girl's eyes, but Kurt had. He tilted her chin up with his left hand and Blaine got a lump in his throat by the look the beautiful boy sent Rose. His whole face was relaxed and a small smile was playing on his lips. His eyes had taken a deep blue color and they were warmer than Blaine had ever seen them.

Kurt reached out and brushed the hair that had fallen into Rose's eyes away. The blond girl had stopped crying, but she still looked like someone had stomped on her heart. Kurt wrapped her into his embrace and held her tightly to his chest. Rose quickly buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed quietly. Blaine was stunned. Why was Rose crying? _And why is Kurt consoling her? _The curly haired teen heard noises and felt his pulse rise again.

"We really have to go now," Blaine said softly, as the two let go of each other. "Rose, take care of yourself, okay? I'll…" He looked at Kurt. "We'll be back again someday, I promise."

The blond nodded and then she smiled at both of them, before she turned around and ran back to the village. The noises began again; louder this time, and Blaine turned around to see Kurt walking through the forest with long, quick steps. Blaine took the reins of the horse and followed. They kept walking in silence for a while, the noises from the village now all gone. The only noise now was the sound of their feet crunching the leaves on the ground.

Blaine walked behind Kurt; his eyes sliding up those slim, yet muscular, pale legs - which suddenly bent slightly. And then Blaine was slapped across the face. He was just about to apologize to Kurt for being a creepy, pathetic excuse for a man, when he realized that it wasn't the brunette who'd hit him. It was a branch. _Oh, so that's why he bent…_ Blaine felt himself blush. _Must be God's punishment._

They walked for hours, trying to stay away from the paths that were used often, but it was hard. The sun was setting, and Blaine was tired and sore. He couldn't even imagine how the brunette felt, so when he thought they were at a safe distance of the village, he began searching for some kind of place, where they could sleep for the night. He found one quickly and even though Kurt looked a bit nervous, he nodded when Blaine asked if it as okay to get a bit of rest.

The sky darkened fast but Blaine managed to make a fire, so the area was at least a bit light when they sat down. They shared a bit of bread and soon Blaine found himself setting up the tent they had borrowed from Merv. They could just as well sleep here and then get an early start the next day.

"You can sleep in the tent," Blaine said softly when he was finished setting it up near the fire and prepared to get some stuff out to sleep on the ground. He didn't mind. It was not like it was _that_ cold outside yet. But he didn't get to reach into the tent, before Kurt had put a hand on his arm. The brunette looked at him with his big glasz eyes and then shook his head very, very slightly. Blaine almost choked on the breath he was inhaling. Kurt wanted to sleep with him? _Oh my God, you could've phrased that so much better, even in your own mind,_ Blaine scolded himself.

The two teens crawled into the tent; both blushing slightly. Blaine tried to tell himself this was no big deal and Kurt… Well, who knew what the brunette thought?

The curly haired teen reached into their bags and found several blankets. He handed some of them to Kurt, while silently thanking Viola for having packed so many. Who knew how long they'd be on the run, and winter was approaching. Blaine slowly shuffled down under the duvets and shifted around a bit till he was lying comfortable. He looked to his right to see the brunette do the same.

Blaine smiled softly. The circumstances could have been better, and even the weather was against them, but he was lying next to the most beautiful boy, and they were to spend a lot of time together from now on. Maybe Blaine would even get a chance to tell the brunette his feelings.

"Goodnight Kurt," he whispered.

xxx

Blaine was woken by a terrible sound.

He instinctively knew it was Kurt. His first time hearing the voice from his unrequited love, and then it had to be in a scream. It was bright and hoarse and it cut through Blaine's dreams and he sat up abruptly. _What-_ He didn't even get to think, before he was hurled out of the tent by a pair of broad hands. Blaine panicked; he needed something to defend himself with, but he couldn't reach anything. And then he was thrown onto the ground with such a strength he was afraid he had broken something. He groaned and closed his eyes, until he heard a whimpering sound. His eyes flew open and he saw a short, but large man stand over Kurt's body.

"It's just two kids," the man laughed as he pulled Kurt up by his ears. The horrible cry that broke through the brunette's throat had Blaine's eyes tearing up. Why was this happening?

"You're right, Ben," the other man, who had thrown Blaine out of the tent, said. Then he took a few steps closer to the curly haired teen who was still lying on the ground. The man grabbed Blaine's left ear, and he cried out in pain. It hurt. It hurt so badly. His guts cramped together, when he saw the man pull out a knife and play with it in his hand.

"Maybe we should take a souvenir with us; just so we won't be forgotten," the stranger said and roared with laughter.

Blaine was scared. He was so scared. This was his ears. They wanted to cut off his ears. He was terrified. He didn't dare to move even the slightest inch. His eyes filled with tears. It hurt; the way the man had a tight grip around his ear, and he just knew, they'd cut it off, and leave him bleeding, or maybe even beat him first, and he'd never be able to escape to a nice place with- His mind stopped for a second. _Kurt_.

Just as he crossed Blaine's mind, the other young man received a kick to the stomach, that had him flying back down onto the ground, and Blaine couldn't keep still anymore. _Let them take my fucking ears,_ he thought angrily as he bend his legs and kicked the man over his ankle; just where he knew it'd hurt the most.

The man slackened his grip on Blaine and roared in pain. The curly haired teen didn't need more than that to leap to his feet and run over to the other man, who had just turned around to see what the fuss was about.

_This man has a sword_, Blaine thought smugly. He had learned how to lure swords out of his enemies. He knew exactly what to do. He stepped close to the surprised man, but before he could catch him, Blaine turned around on his right foot and grabbed the sword in the man's belt. He pulled the long weapon out and kicked the man in the back of his knee, so he fell over.

Blaine stepped in front of Kurt with his legs in fighting position. He no longer felt the fear. Only the adrenalin running through his veins. He was a fighter, and he would protect Kurt with his life. The man on the ground scrambled to his feet and walked a couple of steps back. What could he do without a sword?

"Get lost!" Blaine said loud and clear; taking a step forward to prove his seriousness. He needed them gone, so he could tend to Kurt. The two men shared a look, but then ran away. Blaine may be small of his size, but even for the untrained eye he was a good fighter. His position was not one of an amateur. As soon as the two men was out of sight, Blaine turned around and fell to his knees; throwing the sword on the ground.

"Kurt," he said softly and reached out a hand to caress the other's cheek. "Kurt," he repeated a little louder, when the brunette didn't open his eyes. Oh no. What if he had hit the ground too hard? What if he wouldn't wake up? _No, no, no_.

Just as Blaine was beginning to panic the other teen's eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Oh thank God!" Blaine gasped and pulled Kurt into his embrace without any hesitation. "Thank God," he muttered into the brunette's neck. Kurt whimpered and squirmed a bit in his arms, and then Blaine realized the boy surely must be hurt and he was most likely crushing him.

"I'm sorry!" He said quickly and gently put Kurt down on the ground again. The brunette squeezed one of his eyes shut, as if he was concentrating very hard and then shook his head, but instantly stopped. Blaine could see it hurt.

"Wait here," he said and could've bitten off his own tongue. It wasn't like Kurt could move very much. Then he ran over to the tent and found the bandages Viola had packed. _I am going to buy that woman a castle one day_, he swore gratefully and ran back to Kurt.

"Can-" Blaine started, but he didn't even need to ask, because a second later Kurt pulled himself up into sitting position. The brunette's jaw was tightly set and Blaine saw no need to ask if he was okay. He clearly wasn't, but pointing that out to the other teen might not be a good idea.

While Blaine bandaged Kurt's chest (trying not to stare too much) and stomach, a lot of thoughts were going through his head. If Kurt could scream, surely he could speak normally too. So why didn't he? If it was because he didn't want anyone to know, why hadn't he at least talked to Blaine, when they were alone? Maybe he didn't trust him enough. And that thought kinda hurt. It hurt so much Blaine didn't notice that he tightened the bandages way too tightly around Kurt's injured ribs. The brunette flinched and let out a strangled noise that made Blaine look up and then quickly loosen up the knot slightly.

"Kurt, listen to me," the curly haired teen said softly. He didn't feel save here. There was no telling if those men would come back, and Blaine had no idea if he could actually fight them off with Kurt lying on the ground like this. "You'll have to get up on the horse, do you understand? I'll help you, but you have to try and hold on by yourself, okay? We have to get out of here."

Slowly Blaine got Kurt to stand on his feet; his legs shaking violently. He led the brunette over to the horse, but then remembered they had to pack all their things. He let Kurt support himself to the brown horse and quickly packed all their stuff together in the bags. He fastened them on the horse and then helped Kurt up. The slender teen's jaw was tensed and he looked like he was in a lot of pain. Blaine tried to find comforting words, but none were let out of his mouth. He had no idea what they should do. But one thing was for sure: they had to get away from the forest.

As they walked further along the path in silence, Blaine looked up at the boy beside him. He really wanted to hear Kurt's voice. He really, really needed to hear the brunette speak, not scream. Blaine couldn't get the scream out of his head. But he didn't want to push the other boy. If he could talk, but chose not to, there had to be a reason behind the silence. And Blaine didn't know if he was allowed to know it. But it still made his heart ache. What could make the other teen just stop talking? What horrible things had happened to the boy?

**Have mercy on me you guys; I let you know he can speak, right? So you forgive me? And you'll tell me what you think? Please?**

**Oh, and also: HDGHADGKADGKABDGKGHKEGHKEAG. 8****th**** November. *DEAD* **


	10. Strangers

**A/N: *hides* Explanation/apology at the end, because I don't wanna keep you too long. **

They walked for many hours, only stopping to eat once.

Blaine tried to start a conversation. More than once. But it was like Kurt was back to his old self. And not just the old self, who at least saw Blaine as an ally - or possibly something more - but the old Kurt who wouldn't even look at him for more than a few seconds. It was wearing him down. He was paranoid with being in the forest and now he couldn't even talk, so he had to walk around with his thoughts alone.

Night time came again but this time Blaine didn't go to sleep next to Kurt. He stayed up to keep a watch on everything. When dawn was breaking, Kurt emerged from the tent and sat down by the fire; as far away from Blaine as possible.

"Wake me up in a few hours?" Blaine asked. At least Kurt made a tiny movement to indicate he would. Blaine sighed heavily and went into the tent, but he didn't sleep much. He kept twisting and turning, and when sleep finally found him, he had nightmares. Filled with screams and blue eyes and so much pain and blood.

He woke up to Kurt stroking a hand through his hair gently.

Or at least he thought that had happened. But when he fully woke up, Kurt was outside by the fire and he was still alone. Maybe he'd dreamt it.

xxx

Blaine crawled out from the tent and stretched until his back had made a cracking sound. He looked up to see Kurt rewrapping his bandages. Blaine felt a stab of guilt. He should be the one doing that. Or rather, he should've been the one protecting them yesterday, so Kurt wouldn't have been hurt in the first place.

When he saw the brunette struggling to fix it on the back, he quickly batted his hands away and did it for him. It was not an act he thought about first, he just did it. He was careful not to tighten the bandages too much, but still enough so that they wouldn't come lose.

Their second day walking was much like the first. Except Blaine didn't try to initiate a conversation. He kept quiet. Kurt was once again sitting on the horse; trying his best not to let out any groans of pain, judging by the way his jaw was tensed.

Some times during their travel, Kurt would turn to him and open his mouth. Then he would shut it again promptly. It happened every hour, as if there was something on Kurt's mind that he couldn't help but want to share, and yet he didn't. Couldn't, maybe.

That was what bothered Blaine the most. They'd been friends for a while - or at least he thought they'd been - and Kurt seemed to trust him, in his own way. And yet he didn't trust him enough to just open his mouth and press out a few words. Blaine wasn't looking for a whole monolog, but a yes, a no, maybe even a thank you. Just something, so he could get the sound of Kurt's scream out of his head.

When they stopped to eat lunch, Blaine was almost sure Kurt was about to talk to him.

Judging by the way his lips formed, he was about to call out to Blaine. But apparently he changed his mind and instead sunk his teeth into his bottom lip and looked away.

It was driving Blaine crazy.

They hadn't spoken - or had any kind of 'conversation' - for two days and he was getting sick of it. Not because he'd thought Kurt would magically become this chatty person, but because he _knew_ Kurt could speak; and from all the times he'd turned to Blaine with an open mouth, it looked like he wanted to speak to him. But he never did.

To add to his stress Blaine felt like they were being watched. And not just by the animals around them, but seriously watched. He kept turning around to look if there was anyone behind them, but his eyes never seemed to catch sight of anyone. After a while Blaine noticed that Kurt did the same.

_Maybe that's what he wanted to say_, Blaine thought; slightly disappointed. He'd rather Kurt said his name again, than him saying 'oh I think we're being followed'.

Just as he thought this, there sounded a loud crack not far away from them and both boys tensed.

Blaine looked up into Kurt's eyes and the brunette nodded and moved back slightly on the horse to make room. Blaine swung himself up with ease and immediately pressed his heels into the horse's sides, urging it to go faster. He felt two hands grab him by the sides as he kept pushing the horse to go faster. They needed to get away after all. But his constant heel-pressing came to a halt as he felt the arms sneak around his waist and squeeze. He knew Kurt didn't mean anything by it, he just had to hold on to _something_, but Blaine was pretty happy to be that something.

When the horse came to a sudden halt, Blaine's head almost collided with the horse's neck. He leaned to the side slightly; surprised. He'd given no signal for it to stop. Then he looked up.

In front of them stood two women. One tan with long, black hair and dark eyes, and one pale with long, blond hair and eyes so blue, they could compete with Kurt's. When neither of the women said anything, Blaine felt like he needed to break the silence.

"Are you okay, ladies? Is there anything we can do for you?" He asked, as he swung himself down from the horse. He would never deny a woman - or man for that matter - his help, if needed. He was surprised to hear a soft _thump_ behind him; indicating that Kurt too had landed on the ground. The blonde woman kept staring at him and it was the dark haired woman who spoke.

"We don't need anything from you," she said in a dark voice; sounding as if he'd just insulted her.

"Oh. I see. Well, we're kind of in a hurry, so if you ladies would excuse us," Blaine said politely and tried to stir the horse around them.

The blonde whispered something in the tan woman's ear quickly.

"Hold it, hobbit," the dark haired woman said and held up a finger. _Hobbit? _Blaine gaped. _I'm not that short! _"You can't just leave like that."

"And why is that?" He took a timid step in front of Kurt; protecting him.

"Because my lady likes your man, so now move your bubble-butt out of the way, so she can see him."

Blaine was frozen to the spot. The insult didn't even reach him. Her lady likes his man? Not that Kurt was ever his, but he got her intentions. He didn't want to move. Were women capable of raping men? What if- But because his mind got too busy, Kurt stepped out from behind him and took a few steps forward.

The blond girl's smile was so pure and angelic that Blaine instantly felt guilty for ever having thought anything bad about her.

"Hi," the blonde cooed. "You have such pretty hair." She held out a hand slowly, as if approaching a wild animal. Blaine was about to say something - Kurt didn't like strangers - but the brunette let the blonde girl thread her fingers through his hair.

She looked like she was stroking a cat.

"I'm Brittany, what's your name?" The blonde - Brittany - asked with a sweet smile as she kept running her fingers through the brown locks. Blaine wanted to interrupt again, just to save Kurt from the humiliation, but the girl didn't even wait for an answer.

"It's okay, little birdy, we'll go pick berries. Tana loves berries, don't you Tana?" Brittany asked over her shoulder; directed at the dark haired girl. She smiled warmly at the other and answered calmly.

"Of course I do."

Then Brittany took Kurt's hand - Blaine's eyes almost fell out of his skull when he saw that the brunette just let her - and started walking. He looked to the other woman, who just locked her dark eyes with his and then started walking too. Blaine hurried after her with the horse on tow and quickly came up to her side.

"Um, excuse me," he said slowly.

"What?" The woman - maybe she was more like a girl, Blaine decided when he came in close - said.

"Where is your friend taking Kurt?"

"Out to pick berries, just like she said. Are you death?" She kept walking with long strides and Blaine gulped. This woman was kind of scary, and she didn't seem to be in a very good mood.

"No," he mumbled, but even if she heard him, she didn't seem to care. She just kept her eyes locked on the back of the blonde girl walking in front of them; still holding Kurt's hand.

When the four of them - split into two and two - reached the house, Brittany lead Kurt away, while she chatted warmly. Blaine was about to follow, when he felt an arm grabbing his and turning him around.

"Leave them," the Latina girl said and took the horse from his grip. He had no idea where to put his hands or if he should really listen to her, but when she wondered into the house after tying his horse to a pole with water and food, he followed.

"Um, excuse me?" He said, still keeping his gentleman façade up.

"What now, Curly?"

"My name is Blaine," he said and had to hold back a childish pout. He hated when people made fun of his hair. He'd had enough of that all his life.

"Congrats, I don't care," she said in a bored voice and turned on the stove in the tiny kitchen they'd walked into and started heating water.

"Well," Blaine murmured. He didn't know what to say. He hadn't lied all that time ago, when he'd thought people normally liked him. They did. He'd never been treated quite like this before. Harsh words and punishments, yes, but not this… indifference. "May I know your name?"

"Wow, turn down the act, pretty boy," she laughed. It apparently took her a while to see that Blaine in fact didn't act anything. This was how he was brought up. "Santana," she finally said but didn't offer him a hand to shake or a form of courtesy to respond to, so he just nodded.

Blaine was mildly surprised when she offered him a cup of tea. He hadn't drunken tea in years - the soldiers were never really into tea parties - so he gladly accepted.

"So?" Santana said as she took the seat in front of him.

"So?" He asked back.

"What happened with you two? You're not exactly forest-types." Blaine really doubted the Latina would actually care to know what happened with them. She just didn't seem like the type to care about others. Then again she seemed pretty fond of that Brittany girl.

"I know. We've already encountered some of them," he answered with a bitter tone; trying to block out the memory of Kurt's scream.

"And yet you're still alive. Fascinating," she drawled, but didn't sound the least bit fascinated. "Now spill. What are you doing here?"

Blaine considered lying for a minute, but it wasn't in his nature to lie, so he ended up telling her everything. Every single detail - except for the fact that he was terrible in love with his travel partner. He mentally slapped himself for thinking that. Now that he'd confessed to himself that it was more than just a crush, he was in for a rough time.

"So you have no idea where you're going?" Santana said after he'd finished.

"No I just- We needed to get out of there. Fast," he explained.

"What about Kurt?" She asked.

"What about him?"

"Doesn't he have an idea of where to go? He seems more focused than you, at least."

"In case you haven't noticed, Kurt doesn't really speak," he snapped. He was trying to be polite - like any gentleman - but the woman kept insulting and provoking him. He was losing his patience.

"Not to you, maybe." That got his attention.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"What I mean, Captain Oblivious, is that he may not be having life-long conversations with you or me, but he seems perfectly capable of talking to Brittany," Santana explained in a bored voice, like she had to explain the simplest thing to a small child.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Cursing his stutter Blaine wondered what she meant. His eyes grew bigger the further his thoughts wandered. Had she heard Kurt speak? But he'd been with him for days and no one else had been around.

"Seriously, are you dumb or just born slow on the uptake?"

"Excuse me-" He was beginning to get upset with her again, but she interrupted - _rude_, Blaine thought - before he could snap at her again.

"Yes, excuse you. Excuse you for being such a blind asshat, because _HELLO_, look to your fucking left," she said and pointed.

"What do you- Oh." And oh indeed. Because out the window to his left you could see two persons walking around. One tall, slim and with short brown hair, the other a bit smaller with long, blond hair. It looked like they were talking. And maybe even laughing.

"Wh- I don't understand-" Blaine started.

"Of course you don't. Not many people do. But Britt has that effect on people." And that's when he saw it. That small sign of fondness on her face. She had an almost invisible smile on her lips and her eyes suddenly seemed so much warmer than then had before. Blaine couldn't help but wonder if maybe Santana was in love with her roommate.

"He's only just met her," he mumbled before he could stop himself.

"Does she seem threatening to you?" Santana asked; her voice turning colder again.

"No, but-" Blaine said and looked out the window. There was nothing threatening or scary about the smiling girl running wound with Kurt outside. He felt a stab of jealousy. "But he's been with me for weeks."

"That doesn't make you any less dangerous," the dark haired woman just stated. But it seemed like she felt slightly guilty when she saw how Blaine's shoulders slumped, because she placed a hand on his arm. "It doesn't mean that he doesn't like you, either," she said and removed her arm.

_It doesn't mean that he doesn't like you_. Blaine looked up at Santana with a small smile.

"Thanks," he said.

"Whatever," was her only answer, but she still filled up his cup with steaming tea, while they waited for their loved ones to come back.

**Hi you guys. I know, I know, there is no excuse. My only one is that my life kinda fucked up. 'But you updated other stuff' - yes, I did. Because that other stuff didn't connect with all that went wrong in my brain these past few months. I kind of needed a break from this story, if it makes sense. It was never my intention to drop it or leave you guys hanging for so fucking long. I am so sorry. **

**I will not make any promises this time, but I am working as fast as I can without ruining the story. Again, I'm so sorry. I hope you're not, like, against Brittana, because I'm kinda planning on them staying there for a few days maybe. **

**Please send me your thoughts, because I'm really unsure about this chapter. Does it suck? Should I take another break and get back to it when I can actually write again? **

**THANK YOU FOR READING - AND ONCE AGAIN I AM SO, SO SORRY. **

**(also, it's 2am so forgive me if there's any typos; I just wanted to get this up as fast as possible) **


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